Build a Custom DIY Trellis in an Afternoon {GIVEAWAY CLOSED}

SO… funny story, each year I get super excited about spring and go nuts in the seed isle at our local store. Then I come home and read about each plant and start to lay out where I want everything. Like a total Rook I failed to notice that my Morning Glories are the type of plant that requires something to climb, like a trellis. This is the genius idea my Bride offered to me … the Rook, newbie, guy that obviously doesn’t read seed packs before purchasing because he is so enthralled by the picture on the front.

Okay, Beth has me on a timer (not really), so I am going to break this down for ya as fast as possible. You don’t want specifics anyway, because if you do something similar, your dimensions and everything will be custom to your own project. (that’s a Barn Swallow nest, not a hornet’s nest…)

We have two opening on our porches we decided to install these bad mama jamma’s. The first for the Morning Glories and the later because well we have a two foot drop off that the sisters like to get too close for comfort. Plus, on the west porch… Reuben likes to take a shortcut through our flower garden by trotting right off the edge of the porch into our blooms (that are not present in this old picture).

So here’s my short breakdown:

1. Measure opening and cut base board (not pictured, sorry) then shim it off the ground concrete at least a 1/4” (thus not trapping moisture and debris) and level.

2. Measure the rest of the opening.

3. Cut boards to length.

4. Using a dado blade cut a groove a 1/16” wider than your lattice thickness.

5. Using a Kreg Jig, drill pocket holes.

6. Attach one of the boards, aligning the groove you dado’d. I used Kreg’s (blue) Weather resistant screws.

NOTE: See that Sexy tool? NO NOT ME… the Ryobi cordless drill and Impact driver! Well it may have something to do with our little giveaway at the end of this post, wink. wink.

Stay with me now.

7. Measure your opening for your trellis, and mark it using a chalk line.

8. Using a circular saw cut the trellis to size.

9. Put the trellis into the grooves that you cut. This is about as easy as trying to catch a greased pig running through a schoolhouse. Good thing you made it a 1/16 of an inch wider.

9 1/2. Install the other 2 boards completely framing in your trellis (not pictured, as to not bore you)

10. shove the sucker into place and gaze in awe of your work, not to long though… it’s not screwed into place and you would hate to have it fall onto all those pretty flowers.

11. Drill a counter bore and screw those sweet mamma’s into place.

This project was a lot of fun and it went up in an afternoon. We noticed this really cut down on the wind too, super bonus! In case you are curious we used treated lumber which is weather resistant, the downfall to this is that you have to wait a good long time for it to dry out before painting. We will eventually paint them white, but for now they’ll do as-is!

CAUTION: If you’re pregnant (congratulations!) DO NOT handle treated lumber. Or even be in the vehicle with wood that has been treated. The fumes are very dangerous to unborn babes.

Not bad for an afternoon, eh? And we already have some little viney flowers making their way up! The Morning Glories… not so much. They’re only about an inch tall.

With out further ado, I am going to turn this puppy over to Beth, so she can giveaway one the most-used tools we have.

p.s. this thing is awesome, I seriously us it everyday and have only had to charge the batteries 2 times since getting them back when we did the crown moulding, back in March; Who ah!

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Kay guys, did you make it through that? ! I love that we’re finally making some progress on the exterior of our house. When Nick gets a wild hair up his… well, let’s just say he drops everything and runs with it. And something about it just seems more cozy and ‘secret garden-ish’.

So let’s get down to business with this giveaway. The amazingly generous folks of RYOBI are giving away a Cordless Drill/Impact Driver Kit to one of our lucky readers! These things are SO sleek, light-weight, and downright handy.

Literally? They get used everyday ‘round these parts for something or another.

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About Bethany Sy

Bethany Sy is the creative free-spirit behind DIY/Lifestyle blog, Reality Daydream. She and her husband have been making their 117-year-old homestead their own, and love sharing tips and tutorials along the way. When they found themselves in the trenches of infertility, they started a journey that would prove to be their most important DIY project ever, and have 3 beautiful girls to show for it.

Comments

Just noticed the comment about the barn swallow nest. Did you know they are supposed to bring blessings on the home they choose to build their nest on? We always had them underneath the eaves of the front porch of our home and my father used to tell us this.

I have a couple faces. I have lived in the desert for almost 9 years now and I have really started to like hollyhocks! They don’t take very much water and they are really pretty. Before moving to the desert I lived in the foothills of the Rockies and although they’re not a flower per se I really loved lilacs!! The smell in the spring time is amazing! zelg2@yahoo.com

Gerber daisy’s(have a tattoo on my foot w/4 ladybugs, all my kids) but I do also love hens and chicks, my gma had some in a flower pot, also one in an old tie boot, well the one in the boot is still going strong, prob 20+ years old. reminds me of her. 🙂 ladibugbe@hotmail.comThank you!

Always loved sunflowers, but am really loving hydrangeas now. Gotta say I have a special spot in my heart for morning glories too. How to choose just one?!!! Would love to have this tool for myself too:)jdvandyk at yahoo dot caDenise

Hard to choose ONE… guess i’d have to say the little crinkled yellow weed flowers the most precious boy in the world brings his mama ;). He’s nine and he hasn’t given it up yet and i hope he never does! Thanks for the project idea Nick… and thanks for sharing that awesome man-boy, Bethany! estesj@bellsouth-dot-net

Have you planted the morning glory yet? If not, please save yourself the trouble and DON’T! 🙂 Sorry, but I grew up on an Iowa farm where morning glory ran rampid and the seeds would blow into our flower beds and they would be everywhere! If you plant these you’ll be weeding them out of any other surrounding gardens for years. Maybe a clematis would be nice? 🙂

I love Hibiscus… one, becasue they are beautiful and two, because there is a snow cone stand where I live and it is called the Hibiscus Hut and well let’s just say that both flowers and snow cones make me super happy! 🙂 love the addition to the porches too!mariajadams at gmail dot com

Love the trellises! They will look great with Morning Glories blooming all over them. My favorite flowers are snow drops, because they are one of the first flowers to bloom in the spring and promise that warmer weather and more flowers will be coming soon!

Hello Nick and Beth! I am brand new to your guys blog, and I am proud to say, that I am addicted! Thank you for giving me a chance to win and amazing tool that will assist me in my many projects that I would LOVE to conquer! My favorite flower is a lily! A pink lily to be more specific! The bigger and pinker they are the more I love it! God bless your amazing family!audriana.moody@gmail.com

Hi Nick and Beth: Nick great tutorial. Quite easy to understand. However, I would need that sexy tool to make that happen! Beth, my favorite flower is a rose. A coral colored rose to be quite specific. Thanks for the chance to win!! Renee – reneep@peoples-ebank.com

I enjoy flowers of all kinds but my absolute favorite are roses. They are not only beautiful but their fragrance is so lovely. I just now had to put some dried tea roses out to be burned. My husband cut them off our 60+ year old bush and put them in a vase for me for Mother’s Day…no he isn’t cheap he just knows what gives me joy! : )ruthechidley@gmail.com

I so enjoy reading this blog. My husbands looking over at me wondering what in the world is so funny that I’m laughing out loud. My favorite flowers are Stargazer Lilies – my wedding flowers. kristyb@fcog.com

Oh how I would LOVE to win this drill. Coming from a girl that had a staple gun on her Christmas list this would be a great addition to my home 🙂 My favorite flower is the peony! lauren.bsn19@gmail.com

My have a couple of favorite flowers. One is the Calla Lily which I used in my wedding and the others are Irises. I have just about every color of the rainbow in irises thanks to my mother-in-law and myself. They are very versatile and transplant easily. I also enjoy clematis which very nicely climb trellis’.

Tiger lilies are my all time FAV! Gorgeous pops of color that come back every year…no maintenance required! Now if they only could make a hybrid one that is a turquoise color I’d have my house surrounded!! 😉

I really love daisies. I know they are simple and cheap, but I just really like them. They remind me of my childhood. I would love to win this!!! My husband steals all my tools, so I’m going to hide this if I win it, lol!!

My all time favorite flower is the Cherokee Rose. I love the story behind them (even if it is heartbreaking). And it’s the ONLY flower I draw! I drew them all over my granddaughter’s room! I could really use a new drill too. Between my husband and myself we’ve broken 3 in the past 6 months and I’m refusing to buy another one!

I love the project! When my husband bought this house the previous owners had trellis up with roses. He did not like it so he tore it all down. Of course that was before he met me! I’ve been telling him that we are going to redo it as soon as I get the back yard the way I want it! 🙂

My official favorite flower is the asiatic lily because as a new home owner, this is the ONE flower that my husband and I planted just a couple of weeks ago that is actually BLOOMING and not DYING! WOOHOO!!! So clearly, they are green thumb(less) friendly!

You guys crack me up 🙂 Your blog is like crack, only not bad for you. Crack is whack. (That’s what I tell my high school students, but I am pretty sure they just roll their eyes at me). My favorite flower is currently the very exquisite white flower that appears on my pepper plant, because it means new peppers are in the happening! Beyond that, my favorite flower is the elusive dendrobium orchid. Elusive, you ask? Yes. My local grocery store dyes them purple and blue and they are tough to find, but when I finally happen upon them, I hunker down and invest in those sweet blooms. That is all! 🙂

My favorite is the yellow rose bush that we planted in memory of our baby we lost. Our first rose this year just bloomed this morning! I love your site. Thanks for inspiring me to try new things!Melinda at DKozak5@aol.com

My absolute favorite flower is the Tiger Lilly. Growing up, my grandmother had flower beds going all the way around her detached garage and they had nothing but Tiger Lillies in them. Although all lilies are beautiful, the bright orange and black brings back childhood memories of spring & summer with my wonderful grandma! I love your blog, just discovered it, and am hooked! Also, after battling some infertility issues as well, I am happy that IVF worked for you guys! Hoping for a happy ending myself! amandabfulton@gmail.com

When I was a kid I didn’t understand flowers – who cares if they are pretty – but then I was introduced to snapdragons. A flower that could talk?! Now that was a flower I could get behind. 20 years later, I still love them. I can’t wait for my baby to get old enough to show him the only flower that can talk back.

Ahh, I love morning glories, I plant them whenever we have chainlink fence to contend with. But I also love lilacs to help hide fences too (I really hate the look of Chain link fence- so cold and uninviting). But I think my favorite flower is the Tiger Lilly. Love your DIY style Nick! bambi.erv@gmail.com

I absolutely LOVE your blog!! And it just so happens that my husband told me the other day he needs a new drill. What a great birthday or Father’s Day gift. My favorite flower of all time is the gerber daisy…I just love all the various colors. tfoix@cox.net

My favorite are Indian paintbrush- not so much for the color, but they remind me of hiking as a child with my mom, who LOVES to point out and take pictures of flowers, and my husband because when we first met in Wyoming we would hike all the time and see Indian paintbrush. Reminds me of love!!!!!!Ps- my hubby could use a cool tool to help with the many projects I am inspired to do because of you both… Thank you for the inspiration!Ktmgurl@gmail.com

Oh man, my fingers are crossed… this would be the perfect First Fathers Day gift for my husband (pregnant after infertility with our very first baby, woohoo!!!) His drill just bit the dust. I adore hydrangea… specifically white… definitely my favorite!sarah@tonykau.com

When I was a little girl we had morning glorys on our deck. As I love to sleep I would never be up in time to see them. One morning my Mom woke me up at 6am so that I could finally see them. That morning is one of my favorite childhood memories. I love lilies and Hubs loves irises. Our 1st Anniversary is June 16th and hubs drill is really old and always needs a charge before using. This would make a sweet gift. poppywill@yahoo.com

Gosh this is hard to choose but I have this pineapple lilly that is so cool! Love all your projects and could really use new tools. Just started building my art studio and we are DYI’ers like yourselves!!!

I like lots of flowers, but I think my favorites are sweet pea. Although moonflower/datura (especially the multi-layered ones:frilly!)are nice and have local roots so are pretty drought tolerant- they are contenders.

Roses!! Love the projects that are moving outdoors! Thanks for the pressure treated warning for pregnant mamas! I had no clue. We really need a new drill. My husbands current one is 10 years old and only holds a charge for small jobs. Thanks!! Jennifermiller811@gmail.com

Roses!! Love the projects that are moving outdoors! Thanks for the pressure treated warning for pregnant mamas! I had no clue. We really need a new drill. My husbands current one is 10 years old and only holds a charge for small jobs. Thanks!! Jennifermiller811@gmail.com

Great post! I need a trellis for some beans I planted and didn’t think would actually sprout from seed, but they did and now need a trellis and this post has inspired me! My favorite flower at this moment are day lilies because they are blooming in my yard and so pretty!

Love the lattice work. So pretty and giving me some pretty good ideas for our entryway porch/stoop/cement slab/thingy. My favorite flower is a gardenia. Love the scent. My family had some growing in Florida but. alas, they do not do so well in Oregon. rajarf (at) yahoo (dot) com

We just moved in our house in December, so we are pleasantly surprised at how beautiful our plants look that the previous owners left. My favorite so far are all the peonies! I do have a clematis that could use a trellis though, it is currently growing up a fence that we will be removing!

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[…] Build a Custom DIY Trellis in an Afternoon {GIVEAWAY … – Hey yo, Nick here. SO… funny story, each year I get super excited about spring and go nuts in the seed isle at our local store. Then I come home and read about each …… […]

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Attention: Almost any do-it-yourself project involves risk of some sort. Your tools, materials, and skills will vary, as will the conditions at your project site. Reality Daydream has made every effort to be complete and accurate in the instructions of the plans on this website. Reality Daydream will not assume any responsibility or liability for damages or losses sustained or incurred in the course of your project or in the use of the item you create. Always follow the manufacturer's operating instructions in the use of tools, check and follow your local building codes, and observe all commonly accepted safety precautions.